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CASE REPORT article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Psychopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1420316
This article is part of the Research Topic Case Reports in Psychopharmacology, volume III View all 5 articles
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Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, medications commonly employed in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, have illustrated several additional benefits, including weight loss and potentially reduce addictive cravings. Several studies have indicated that GLP-1 receptor agonists may be effective in treating Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), for which current pharmacologic therapies are often inadequate. Proposed mechanisms include modulation of dopaminergic transmission and reduced gastric emptying, both of which reduce alcohol craving and tolerance. This case report discusses dulaglutide’s ability to reduce alcohol consumption. During a visit to an outpatient behavioral health clinic, a 44-year-old male was evaluated for weight loss. His medical history revealed a BMI of 41.8, hypertension, major depressive disorder, and pre-diabetes. The individual also reported the consumption of approximately ninety beers per month and was in the pre-contemplation phase of change. As part of the treatment plan, the patient was prescribed dulaglutide to manage pre-diabetes and facilitate weight loss. During subsequent appointments, the individual not only experienced weight loss but also noted a substantial reduction in alcohol cravings and consumption. However, following a lapse in insurance coverage the following year, the individual had to discontinue his dulaglutide, resulting in a return to previous drinking patterns. Future research should focus on confirming existing animal study results in humans, with the hope that GLP-1 receptor agonists can become a mainstay treatment for AUD.
Keywords: Dulaglutide, Alcohol use disorder (AUD), substance & alcohol use, GLP-1 recepter agonist, Semaglutide
Received: 19 Apr 2024; Accepted: 01 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hill, Hughes, Singh, Ang-Rabanes and Mogallapu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Olivia Hill, Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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